help with letter to landlord

bigoggy2007

we are going to write to our landlord as they are failing to do repairs, we have damp and mould on several walls, floorboards collapsing, cracks in a load bearing wall, smoke alarm goes off for no reason any time of day or night, one wooden window frame rotted to extent window is dangerous, ect...

what i want to know is, how long do i give them to do the repairs? i intend to say they have 1 month to do them or i will call envionmental (spelling?) health in. we have been telling them about some of these problems for 6 months.

also do i take the letter in in person or post it recorded delivery.

loisa

You may want to consider getting some expert advice.
The following link contains some useful information:

http://www.adviceguide.org.uk/index/family_parent/housing/disrepair_in_rented_accommodation.htm#Taking_action_about_disrepair

bigoggy2007

bumpy bump

Bermuda_John

i would probably stop paying the rent.

the landlord will soon come round!!

G_M

we have been telling them about some of these problems for 6 months

Have you done this in writing? Have you told them of ALL the problems? It is not enough just to mention it in passing .....

Do NOT stop paying rent but make sure you detail all the issues in detail and in writing.
As for timescales - different issues need resolving in different timescales. The LL should remedy problems within a 'reasonable' period. Structural work on a property for example takes longer to arrange (get builders quotes, agree price, schedule the builder....) than fixing/replacing/changing battery on a smoke alarm.

That said, anything 'dangerous' should be done faster.

Which makes me ask also:
Damp/mould: how long have you lived there and how long has it been damp? ie is this a new development? Is it caused by structural problems (eg water running down the external wall because the gutter is blocked etc) or internal (eg you have steamy baths/lots of drying clothes inside and no ventilation?)

How do you know the wall is load bearing? Is the crack new? If it's 'dangerous' then yes, the LL needs to fix. If it's not, then the LL can just deal with it as general property maintenance as/when he chooses.

Same with window - what makes it dangerous? Some rotten wood in the cill can be fixed as/when he maintains the property. A window that's literally falling out is something else.

And what kind of alarm is it? stand-alone battery one (change the battery!!) or automated, mains-operated fancy one linked to an alarm centre?

Use recorded delivery and ask for the landlord to advise you in writing within 7 days of the timescales for repairs. Point out that some(specify) are dangerous.

MissMoneypenny

With a house that is in that bad a state, why not just phone your local council (private lettings section) and ask them to come and do an inspection of the property. They can then sort the landlord and his repairs, out for you. The council will then also have a record of what your landlord is like.

Then find yourself another place to live as soon as you can. I can't envisage that landlord becoming a good landlord.

poppysarah

"dear landlord,
You're fired
Yours sincerely
tenant no more"

Errata

If it's as bad as the OP says it is, a council survey may declare it uninhabitable.

teeni

Bermuda_John wrote: »

i would probably stop paying the rent.

the landlord will soon come round!!

do not follow this advice you will find yourself being evicted for rent arrears

poppysarah

teeni wrote: »

do not follow this advice you will find yourself being evicted for rent arrears

I suspect them being evicted would be better than living in a rotten house.
But you're right it's not the correct thing to do.

bigoggy2007

the way we see it if we contact health department, the landlord will get funny with us, we have an agreed shorthold until february next year.

if they choose to evict us then we will have saved enough to move, however if environmental health condem the place do the council have to rehouse us as we can't save that fast?